Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-03-17

willing to take the Bible just as a sntpmaster
takes the chart! When he leaves the last shore
light and takes his direction he never says: Read
me direction or two of the sailing directions,
and then read me the draughtings inside again
and then again They have no relation at all TO
his course, 70 his actual sailing but he is not so.
Ing TO read so many parts Of his chart and Of his
sailing directions. Why, no; he lays out his voy
age from the beginning and every day he takes
observations, and then he checks down on the
chart inst where he is. at noon tomorrow no
takes another observation; not because there Use
any need of reading his chart in reading any
book on navigation; not because he is studying
astronomy for the sake Of anything that is in
astronomy. He has got a definite purpose in life;
! after which he sells his astronomy. and after
which he sells his books, or those which lay his
course. Are you willing TO begin Christian
course and voyage by going 70 the word OF God
70 ascertain exactly what is expected OF YOU,
both what you are 70 reject and what you are to
adoptY That Is sensible, that is right, resolving
according to practical basis and resolution. or,
on the other hand, are you while you are weigh
ing, that Is, in yourself, ere you saying 20
yourself: MY other people Of God got on the
best way. There is my father and mother II
there were ever any Christians they were such
believe they were real Christians" Now,
mans mother IS infinitely more TO him than the
Virgin Mary is to any devout Catholic.
You come Into the church because you find
sympathy there end kindly help there Are you
willing TO take advantage of all these kindly
helps, so that you may be able 10 keep your pur-
pose and your will? Are you willing to begin it
now? You don'tneed any more knowledge. You
have been brought up In Christian knowledge
from the very cradle; you have no bad associa-
tons; You have necessarily none by the average,
but what Christian life was and Christian duty, Il
there-there is no man here that needs 20 have
additional instruction; he knows that be is bound
to live obediently TO God and in love with Jesus
Christ. But can man come into state of emo
tionS Can man by simply saying will, feels
No; no; but by saying will feel he can take the
steps to feel A man shiyers and says "Chs
and fever are not agreeable; ! am determined 10
get over them" Wen. you cannot get over them
by determining it, but il you will take qunine
enough you can. Now, let your purpose he not
simply this, II am resolved 70 be u Christian"
but II am resolved so unoStentatously l am
going to feel myself for all the help can and all
the Christian institutions that are necessary for
my veal" Now, that is practi ana hat Is
common sense as wen as moral nse Or are
you going to say, well, / will 81 about It,"
No, you won't; you know it, And that thing
we have in our times, when 10th debtor, he has
given q note not for the sake of paying n debt
but for the sake Of getting rid of paying IL they
put it off for four months and then they give an.
other note. 1t is the greenback business. in
which they pay one note by giving another
luton for the sake Of not fulfilling a duty, and
man says, ''Well, have made up my mind am
going to be Christian soon as get ready
When orc you going 10 get ready? II has
clouGed your conscience and cloudcd your reason
now by promising TO do that, by and by, when
the convenient time comes; and the devil will see
to II that II never comes II is a resolution that
simply means the feeling of having done your
duty. And think the most scandalous mean.
neSses and dishonorabeness that can very well
be imagined, when the parties concerned are re-
garded, is that resolution that people form 20 be
o Christian, when they have wasted themselves.
in the service of selfshness and when they have
come into old age and lie on their death bed
should think myself very mean IT, In the sum.
mer time, should gather peck OF peas and
shell ont the peas, and send the pods over 70 my
neighbor as present. That il what men mean
to do with God; they mean 10 i've Ia youth after
their passions; they mean TO live in middle age
after their ambition; they mean TO live In old
age after ease and before they die they hope TO
whip on the right side and get into heaven. When
you come TO examine such conduct IN relation 81
men, there is not savage that would not feel
that was infamous-to repay protection, divine
benedicticn, the ministration OF God through
all the channels of nature and the kindness Of God
through Jesus Christ for the ministration OF tho
gospel; and the man deliberately says, We viii
seek oil the money out Of these things and all the
rest that is in life, and when we are no longer OF
use 10 ourselves we are BOilg--We VIII repent so
as TO get into heaven. Two Dutch elders had been
warm friends and yet one day they fell out with
each other and the fire grew flercer until they
came positively to hate each other, and one Sun
day morning the dominic going behind one Of
the elders heard him mutter TO himself, ivan
Alstyne is hypocrite he will go to hell be will
60 to hell" The old dominic spoke up 20 him and
said: ooh, oh my brother, he won't 60 TO hell"
Eyes he win go TO hell" well, but, my dear
fellow he may repent "No-well he IS Just
mean enough to do. it," But this is it 49, can.
didly--the condition in which some Of you are.
You mean TO live hatefully, disobediently dis
honorably, and yet in the last estate you mean to
whip up and get into heaven--you are lust mean
enough to do It,"
Now, on the other hand, blessed DO God, he Is
long suffering and he is patient, and as would
pay O debt by installments, little By little, show
ing all the time that we endeavor TO do II, he re-
spects your endcavor TO live to repent and TO live
a Christian life, by installments.
II you make up your mind honestly 20 do II, he
will bear with your incompetence and your ig-
norance and your endearments; he will bear pa
tlently with you, and help you from day to day,
and from month 10 month, and from year 10 year,
growing brighter and brighter unto the perfect
day" Is there any man hero that can say in re-
gard TO the past, am resolved that ! will cut
loose from everything that has been detriment
to me- dishonorablc 10 God? Is there any man
that will say in regard TO the future, II am re-
solved what to dor am resolved TO take a higher
life, the nobler ideal; l am determined, by the
help of God, that l win live in such n way that
should live" And IL there Is, don't walt until
tomorrow mornings roadjust your life tonight;
so home and tell God Of il; so home and tell
your wife of it. That Is the very thing you
don't dare to do because when q man has once
committed himself he isashamed 20 20 back; and
II you are ashamed 10 tell anybody Z have made
up my mind 10 live like q Christian man, It Is
because you have not made up your mind. When
a man has determined that he VIII live a Christian
life he will be willing 70 show 10 all that arc
around about him, II am going 70 try. l have
made up my mind to try II you have mind
You VIII enter upon Jour journey. 'Tbc time
IS past in which have served the viii Of the
flesh, ard now, tonight, have determined that
will begin. with the help OF God, to live Christian
life" Are there any IF you that are willing TO
mako that resolvcY God help you. For a little
while il will be troublesome thing, for little
while. but then easier and easier, with remu'
neration AMI cyhilarafion and ioy and nrQl vic.